Packing for this trip will no doubt be an adventure. Obviously, I’ll need to carry a wide range of clothing, from formal business attire to tramping gear. If there’s anything I feel I might need over the course of the next two months, it’s important that I bring it with me. Japanese clothing stores don’t exist to accommodate 6′3″ foreigners with size 12 feet.

But, I also have to consider what type of equipment I’ll need during typhoon intercepts. Rain gear is a must; cheap works, as a $300 Gore-Tex get-up isn’t worth much more than a disposable poncho in horizontal rain. And, of course, I wouldn’t want said horizontal raindrops punching holes in my eyeballs, so safety goggles are a necessity. Rain boots? Overkill, most likely, as I don’t expect to be standing in storm surge (since the Japanese coastline is often marked by steep rises, standing in storm surge essentially means standing in the ocean itself). Tennis shoes will dry… eventually. Besides, I don’t want to figure out how to pack yet another pair of footwear.

Protecting camera equipment from water is a bit of a dilemma. I don’t do underwater photography, so I don’t own any sort of waterproof camera housing. An Aquapac would come in handy, but with a $200 price tag, I think I’ll settle for my homemade “double Ziploc bag/rubber band/lens hood/UV filter” protection scheme.

I suppose I should start thinking of an explanation to give the baggage screener.